Being a huge comic book and superhero fan, I'm a sucker for any type of superhero game. However ,despite my blind devotion to the superhero genre even I, like IGN writer Jesse Schedeen, wonder why they aren't more great superhero video games like the Batman Arkham series. This got me thinking as to what would make a great superhero game. After looking at the notable successes and failures in the genre, I thought about what developers should consider when making superhero games and have come with some ideas which may help them create the next, great superhero game.

'Batman Arkham Knight looks set to be another great instalment in the franchise, however there must be other superheroes deserving of great games.'

Drop the Movie and TV tie-ins

'Kraven has word with Spider-man about his run of mediocre tie-ins.'

Whilst there are a few notable exceptions such as Spider-man 2 and X-Men Origins: Wolverine, most superhero movie or TV tie-ins are mediocre at best and plain broken at worse. That's not to say that some of these games showed promise during development however too often the final game lacks the overall quality of a truly great game. Even I have enjoyed a certain guilty pleasure over playing tie-ins such as Green Lantern: The Rise of the Manhunters, however I always walk away feeling disappointed at the missed opportunities. This isn't necessarily always the fault of the developers as they are often under pressure to deliver a game within a limited time scale; often to coincide with the theatrical release of the movie it's based on. You only have to look at some of the great games over the last few years to see that most of them have been delayed to give developers extra time to polish them. Even Batman Arkham Knight is being delayed and the original Batman Arkham Asylum was itself delayed by a few months.

As well as allowing developers the time they need to create a great game, moving away from movie and TV tie-ins allow developers to be more creative with the license. Rather than stick to the plot of a movie (or at least keep tenuous links to it), developers can create their own stories drawing on years of comic book stories. This has been partly why the Arkham games have been successful as they have forged their own stories that are crammed to the rafters with Easter eggs for life long comic book fans. Moving away from movie tie-ins in many ways allows developers the freedom to build the games they want both in terms of story and game design. Surely knowing you don't have to cram in that chase sequence or epic set piece from the movie allows developers to create their own gameplay mechanics.

Move away from the 'Big 3'

'I'm Batman. I have a great video game series. What do you two have?''

By far the most common superhero games are understandably based on the three most popular, Batman, Superman and Spider-man. However, I believe the next truly great superhero game must come from other comic books stars, as these heroes have either already had success or are inherently not suited to video games.

After years of terrible games Batman has finally found fruit with the Arkham series and needs no re-invention. Also, Spider-man has had some decent success with a variety of open-world games over the past decade or so. Despite some of the fun I've had swinging freely through New York as everyone's friendly neighbourhood Spider-man, there's only so many times you can repeat the same formula of thwarting petty crimes and chasing villains through New York's skyline. On the other hand, despite being arguably the most recognisable superhero, Superman has probably had some of the worse superhero games ever. As Jesse said in his article, video games too often either nuke Superman's powers or have problems translating them to video games especially his ability to fly. The problem is, is that Superman is practically indestructible and has almost unlimited power. The game based on Superman Returns tried to combat this by having the health of Metropolis presented instead but in practice this was merely just another health bar.

The Green Lantern series provides a whole universe ripe for exploring.

Therefore, I think the next truly great superhero game will have to come from other heroes of comic books. One comic book series I feel is ripe to produce a truly great game is the X-Men series. The X-Men universe has enough depth to stand on it's own and there are plenty of great stories to draw from. A great game based on the X-Men series could easily re-create the depth of lore found in the Arkham games and establish a story all of it's own. In regards to other series that have a depth to their universe to stand on their own, I would also argue that the Green Lantern universe would also be another great series to explore. With battles between the different light corps there's a whole wealth of universe building and storytelling to explore in the Green Lantern universe. It would just have to distance itself as much as possible from the incredibly disappointing movie.

Tackle Different Genres

'Press square to pummel.'

However, just merely presenting a well told story with a deep and rich lore from the comic books is not enough to make a good game, it needs to play great too. Unfortunately, many superhero video games have resorted to Streets of Rage like brawlers, where you repeatedly bash buttons to take down wave upon wave of enemies. They may be the odd platforming section or character progression system where you unlock more abilities, but a lot of your cut and dry superhero games follow this formula.

Therefore, the next great video game series needs to experiment a bit more with genre. The Arkham series did this extremely well drawing elements from stealth games, third person brawlers and open world games to develop it's own unique style. Many would even argue that it's combat system is one of the best in gaming as it's deceptively simple yet incredibly deep. However, superhero games could look to other genres too. For example, it's easy to imagine an X-Com like game based on the X-Men series. You could have a vast team of mutants to choose from as you go out on missions to defend the globe. Then you could go back to Xavier's Academy and upgrade your team, research new abilities or maybe even use Cerebro to discover new mutants. If that doesn't appeal to gamers who want a more hands on approach with their X-Men, it could adopt a multi-protagonist approach whose stories intersect in a third person action adventure game.

'Is it too difficult to imagine this squad as a team of X-Men?'

A Green Lantern game could maybe adopt a Mass Effect approach, after all they are both sci-fi operas in their own right. You could explore the universe building your Green Lantern Corps as you tackle various threats from other Corps in third person, squad based action. Maybe it could incorporate role playing elements by creating and improving your own light constructs. These are just a few examples but I'm sure if developers looked to the wider games industry and took a few more risks they could create truly great superhero games.

However, how likely this is to happen is uncertain as we still see plenty of mediocre superhero games. We still see these games because despite their mediocrity or missed opportunities they continue to sell well as just playing as a well-established hero is enough for some. I know I have at times been guilty of this by getting far too much enjoyment out of games that aren't great. If these games are still successful why would developers and publishers be willing to take risks? Despite this, we still have Batman Arkham Knight to look forward to and there maybe a developer out there who has there heart set on creating the next great superhero game.

Do you wish there were more great superhero games? What superheroes do you think would be ripe for truly great games? Is there a certain type of game you wished for, for your favourite superhero? Let me know in the comments below or tweet me @Matt_the_Marvel

As we approach the dawn of a new generation of consoles and look to the future, sometimes we first must look back. After all the current generation has had the longest life cycle, creating many masterpieces of gaming which have achieved deserved critical acclaim and bucket loads of sales. However there are just as many games that maybe didn't get the praise they deserved or sold more like potatoes than hot cakes. Here are the games I consider to be the most underrated of this console generation.

Honourable Mention - Mirror's Edge (Multi-platform)

'I'd rather you grab that wire with your hand not your foot'

My inclusion of Mirror's Edge as an honourable mention has a dual purpose. Firstly it's to give it the high praise it deserves. This game is a true original, with a unique style and beautiful look. However secondly it's to address the issue of an underrated game. Whilst Mirror's Edge didn't sell amazingly well, it sold alright. Also it didn't get amazing reviews put it got generally positive reviews. Over time it's now become somewhat of a cult classic and is even getting a next-gen sequel therefore not what I'd exactly call an underrated game. During my research for this list, I found some lists with games on that I feel are quite highly praised or have sold relatively well considering their target audience e.g Catherine. Therefore I've tried in this list to include games that haven't been critically acclaimed or sold well. However Mirror's Edge is such a great game it still deserves a mention and hopefully with it's sequel it will get the attention it deserved the first time around.

10 Spider-Man Web of Shadows (Multi-platform)

'Spidey's request for a boost goes a little awry'

Now I have to be honest here, I absolutely love superheroes and any media related to them. Hell, I even played that X-men Destiny game recently and that was awful. However since Neversoft released Spider-Man on the original Playstation I have generally enjoyed most Spider-Man games. A particular high-point was Spider-man 2 as it was the first superhero game to take the sandbox of Grand Theft Auto and apply it to men in spandex. However ever since the Spider-Man series has struggled to recapture that high, especially with the recent more linear games. Although there was one game that perfected the sandbox formula and that was Web of Shadows. It had a great cast of Marvel characters and had some excellent aerial combat. Along with an upgrade system it was possible to have Spidey sling through the air launching from one enemy into the next in one set of fluid movements. By far it's the closest anyone has got to honing what it could be like to be Spider-Man himself and for me, except for the Batman Arkham series, it's one of the best superhero games.

9. Syndicate (Multi-platform)

'Exploding windows, a common workplace hazard'

The inclusion of Syndicate on the list maybe somewhat shallow on my part. I was intrigued by this game the very first time I saw it, which was in a blistering trailer with a soundtrack by Skrillex. The trailer was full of energy and had a clean futuristic sheen, which was too alluring to resist. When I finally picked up the game the quality of presentation in the trailer carried over; it was all slick sliding, hacking people's brains and pumping dubstep. Infectious energy poured from every pixel and it looked and sounded cool, in the truest use of that word. However it did suffer from having a short single player campaign, (but what doesn't nowadays) a lack of depth and a mostly uninteresting story, but hey what it did, it did with style. Also it had Brian Cox in it and that officially makes anything at least 26% better.

8. Condemned 2: Bloodshot (Multi-platform)

'All he wanted was a routine filling'

For this entry I considered the original Condemned or including both in one entry, but I forced myself to pick the sequel as it's the better game. The graphics are better, the controls are better and it has probably one of the most underrated multi-player games as well. What makes the Condemned series stand out is its horrific and oppressive atmosphere which makes it somewhat stomach churning to play. Your stomach isn't anymore settled by the fact that the majority of time you have to rely on hand to hand combat. Therefore you don't have the pleasure of firing at you're terrifying foes from a distance you have to actually go mano a mano with them and they're not exactly easy on the eye. Unfortunately the game does lose it's momentum towards the end by turning into an all out sci-fi action game, which goes against its horror roots. However those horror roots are present in the multi-player mode called crime-scene in which The Influenced (mad people in masks) hide evidence from CSU (cops) and go against each other. What makes this interesting is that The Influenced have melee weapons and the CSU have guns with only a small finite amount of ammo. It may sound unfair, but it's actually great. The Influenced can create terrifying ambushes and can pick up any downed weapons. It certainly makes a change from the usual deathmatches and gives the game another unique edge which makes it stand out.

7. Dark Sector (Multi-Platform)

'Have you met my death Frisbee'

Much more than the 'Resident Evil 4 with a Frisbee' tag which most reviewers gave it, Dark Sector is a surprisingly joyous ride, which was criminally overlooked. Admittedly it does borrow heavy from Capcom's classic but unlike other copycats like Quantum Theory, it copies the parts well and then adds it's own spice in the form of death Frisbee, the Glaive. There's nothing more satisfying than sending a spinning disc of death into an unsuspecting enemy, especially once you've upgraded it so you can direct it in slow motion because you know everything looks good in slow motion. However that's not the only trick up it's sleeve, as the game progresses you get other upgrades such as indivisibility and a shield, until eventually you have a complete battle suit straight out of Beetleborgs. There's nothing better than feeling like a badass and Dark Sector manages to balance its influences and forge it's own identify to create a really enjoyable game.

6. Alpha Protocol (Multi-platform)

'The stealth approach simply wasn't working'

Obsidian have made some great RPGs over the years often taking over other people's franchises such as Fallout New Vegas and Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic 2. Clearly Alpha Protocol was Obsidian's bid to step out from under the shadow of the larger stable mates and forge it's own IP. Unfortunately it didn't quite work out for them, but they still forged a great little gem that with patience is ultimately rewarding and very satisfying. Alpha Protocol places you in the shoes of Thorton a spy setting the world's to right. What's interesting about this game is that it fuses together all the RPG elements found in previous Obsidian games such as branching dialogue and skill trees with a more traditional third person shooter. Whilst the third person shooter elements don't hold up so well, the RPG elements do. You can tackle every level how you want to, whether it be gun blazing or tip toeing around like a silent assassin. Also the plot can drastically alter depending on what decisions you take, even offering you the chance to sleep with Brigitte Nielsen from Red Sonja. Okay, so it is a bit buggy (what Western RPGs aren't?) and it clearly influenced Deus Ex: Human Revolution on how to do boss fights (badly). However when you're infiltrating bases with a perk that lets you stay invisible for long periods of time and another that makes your footsteps silent, you feel like a ninja.

5. I Am Alive (Multi-platform)

'In a post-apocalyptic world, a kick to the nuts, still does the job'

I Am Alive will forever intrigue me. Clearly a lot was going on behind the scenes at Ubisoft as the game was initially announced as a full commercial title back at E3 in 2008. However after release dates came and went many thought it had disappeared completely. Finally it emerged as a digital release initially for Xbox 360 only in 2012, but then it came to both the PC and PS3. When playing the game you can't help but wonder what this game was or could have been had it been given Ubisoft's full backing. Either way we're left with a game that I thought felt truly unique and ambitious (although on a small scale). Many have praised The Last of Us's tense atmosphere and realistic setting. Well, I Am Alive did it first and if anything it's more realistic with the absence of any flesh eating zombies. Confrontations, although hampered by inconsistent AI, were genuinely interesting; I can't think of many other games that lets you use an empty gun as a weapon to intimidate people. Also later in the game, the world opens up and doesn't really point you where to go. During these moments is where the potential of the game really shines as when I was playing and got somewhat lost I heard some screams in the distance. I went to investigate and found a women on her own sitting on a bench crying. As I approached, two men ambushed me, depleting most of my health (which doesn't regenerate). I managed to defeat them and then realised that the women was handcuffed to the bench, it had been a trap all along. This was a totally optional confrontation, but the game is filled with moments like these and will forever make me wonder what could have been.

4. Silent Hill Shattered Memories (Wii version)

'You know how dirty you are by how much cleavage you see'

The Silent Hill series has always interested me ever since I played the demo of the original that came with Metal Gear Solid. Unfortunately since the third entry (which wasn't as good as the second) the series has struggled to find it's feet. So with Silent Hill Shattered Memories Konami employed Climax Studios to revisit the plot of the first game to make this re-imagining. The end result was surprisingly good and actually took the series in a new exciting direction, which unfortunately it didn't continue as Climax Studious weren't asked to make any more Silent Hill games. What was even more surprising was that it actually put the Wii mote to good use. Acting as both a torch and phone and using the external speakers for eerie effect, the use of the Wii mote further immersed you into the experience. Even better was how the game 'played you' something it clearly stated it would do from the outset. Part of the game was set in a psychotherapist's office where you were asked probing questions about sex and made to colour in pictures. Based on your actions Silent Hill's locations and character's would change. So if you came across as a bit of perv you were greeted by a Cybil with an unbuttoned shirt and the enemies you accounted were more grotesquely sexual. By the way these were enemies you couldn't kill all you could do was run, making encounters very tense. On top of all of this was a clever twist upon the original plot, all in all making a game that made a long lasting impression.

3. Enslaved: Odyssey to The West (Multi-platform)

'Piggy backs, not so fun when being chased by a robotic loon'

In many ways Andy Serkis is a very underrated actor, therefore it's only fit that he ended up starring in a game that deserved to win awards but sadly didn't. Although he wasn't the only big name attached to this game, Alex Garland writer of The Beach and 28 Days Later also helped script the game. The involvement of these two big names clearly is seen in the quality of the game. Firstly the game looks amazing; the scenery is breathtaking and the character models are fantastic. Obviously the character's are further brought to life with motion capture, with Andy Serkis in the lead role as Monkey and it's this emphasis on character which really makes the game stand out. Over the course of the game, a great relationship is established between Monkey and Trip and it's them who take precedent over plot, which makes a change for video games. The gameplay is also pretty strong but never overshadows the characters and the journey they go on. All in all this makes for an enjoyable experience that feels like it's been spent with friends as we're left with an ending that poses more questions than answers.

2. The Darkness (Multi-platform)

'Napping on a building site is never wise'

I've already mentioned my love of The Darkness series before, but there's good reason to mention it again. In my opinion both games are underrated and stand out as not only being enjoyable to play but also some of the best examples of storytelling in video games. It was difficult to choose just one, but I ended up choosing the first installment. My reason being that it started the series off and is less linear and more varied than it's more action packed sequel. What The Darkness does so well is put you into the shoes of Jackie and letting you experience the story first hand, oh and also giving you demon arms of death. The impaling demon arm is always fun but my favourite is the tentacle you can unleash to sneak up on any unsuspecting enemy. In between the moments of carnage there are the subway sections, where you can take on optional side quests that add to the character of the game. I think it's also important to note that it came out before Bioshock, Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare and Halo 3. Those where all games that in some way redefined the FPS genre and The Darkness did some of what they were doing months previously and therefore deserves to be mentioned within the pantheon of those greats.

1. Spec Ops: The Line (Multi-platform)

'After playing this game you would re-think your juvenile instinct to push your comrade over the edge.'

So a military shooter has topped the list and I'm probably just as surprised as you. At first Spec Ops: The Line does feel like a by the numbers military shooter, it even has Nolan North playing the chirpy, down to earth captain of a Delta team. However as you progress through the story you realise that this is a much darker take on the military shooter. Your mission objectives become blurry and you start to question your own actions. What's most interesting is there are times when you want to put the weapon down and stop firing but you aren't given that luxury. Instead you plod along to a conclusion you're sure will justify the means, after all you're the good guy right? It's not often a military shooter makes you ask such questions and this game is even more important because it does. To do such a thing is brave considering that a certain military shooter is not just the best selling video game but the best selling entertainment product full stop. Whilst many reviewers praised Spec Ops: The Line's unique story and tone, it didn't sell particularly well and has a meta-critic rating below 80, which I think doesn't reflect how important this game is. Hopefully other game developers will be inspired to create games as thought provoking as Spec Ops: The Line.

Well, if you got to the bottom, thanks for reading and hopefully this list may make you pick up one of these gems and experience it for the first time if you haven't already.

So what do you think are the most underrated games of this console generation? Let me know @Matt_the_Marvel or in the comments below.